Re: [Gnu-arch-users] [OT] facism gaining ground in US

[Pierce T . Wetter III]

On Jul 20, 2004, at 3:25 PM, Frank T. Pohlmann wrote:

> > in the
> > main government, so those tribes see it as mostly a
> > Pushtun government,
> > rather then a pan-Afghan government.
>
> Sigh. It is actually the Pashtoons who feel excluded
> and the Tajikis, Uzbeks, Turkmen and assorted others
> (with apologies to those concerned) who rule over the
> roost...at least they are perceived that way.

 Er, yeah, I have trouble keeping the players straight
without a score card in front of me.
> > explain it well enough to keep everyone from jumping
> > down my throat
> > about that not being true. I think there is a
> > difference between thing
> > that you inately understand and things that have to
> > constantly be
> > explained to you. People who grow up with stronger
> > inter-family,
> > inter-clan, inter-tribe ties will understand that in
> > a way that most
> > Americans never will.
>
> I am somewhat astonished by this. Sure that's what
> everyone seems to believe about USians, but when
> looked at closely, my US friends have plenty of strong
> family ties and my Muslim friends seem to have plenty
> of divorces:) I am not entirely kidding.

 Yeah, but do your US friends factor that into who they
vote for?

> >   We're also buying off the warlords instead of
> > deposing them. So in a
> > way, we're just creating safe havens for future
> > problems by trying to
> > "fix" Afghanistan in a quick and dirty fashion.
>
> There is no fix for Afghanistan except the Afghans
> themselves.

 Hear, hear.
> > Afghanistan probably
> > needs _more_ attention then Iraq, not less.
>
> I think Afghanistan needs 20 years of peace and an
> alternative to poppy monoculture and, of course, lots
> of psychologists to help with post-traumatic stress
> syndrome.

  Can there be peace if the warlords are in charge? Is the US and the
others in Afghanistan doing the minimal yet sufficient job to ensure
Afghanistan will be at pease.

> > If he'd been
> > willing to compromise even
> > a little, the Middle East would already have lots of
> > democracies,
> > instead of lots
> > of tyrannies.
>
> Neither Wilson nor anyone else has had much influence
> in the Middle East. They have been fobbing off
> outsiders for several thousand years. Lots of soft
> power (to use the dreaded word) will help. Soldiers
> will not.

  Do you think that democracy can flourish in the Middle East?

 Pierce